For all segments of the population bathing in swimming pools, lakes, seas, walking or seating on public grounds etc. involves a risk of contamination by various pathogens and other contaminants and irritating agents and especially those affecting the genital, urinary and anorectal regions. For example, the risk of infection could persist despite the use of antiseptic agents in water, recreation centers, and other outdoors. The health hazard associated with bathing has been further aggravated these last decades by the ever-increasing number of bathers and recreation centers around the world. Therefore, more efficient and individual protecting devices for the human population as well as animal breeding against possible contaminating environmental agents originating from various recreation areas and especially from bathing activities, are highly desirable.
Healthy population needs a device which is discreetly and adequately shaped, but is also effectively isolating the most exposed parts from the contaminating environments without adversely affecting the comfort of their usual activities. There is no such cloth or other kind of convenient spacer material on the market which is protective of various orifices in the human and animal body from the pathogens present in most public and private places.
A hygienic slip for wearing when trying on articles of clothing such as lingerie or bathing costumes prior to purchase made of thin, flexible, impermeable film is disclosed in European Patent Application 0248173. Moreover, this above disclosed diabolo-shaped panel may be used as disposable accessories in clothing shops to allow a person to try on, e.g. underwear but it is attached only by its corners either via self-adhesive strips or coated patches adherent to user's skin. Obviously, this hygienic protective device cannot be used to isolate the user's parts of the body from the contaminating environmental agents and from pathogens and other irritating agents which can penetrate through the non-adherent edges and easily enter open orifices.
This is why the present inventors have found that the use of especially shaped material, hermetically sealed to the user's skin is the most appropriate device to protect said parts from the outside aggression by water, soil or air.
This is the object of the present invention to provide an impermeable, thermoplastic material such as latex, device having a flexible outer layer which is in contact with the contaminating environments and having optionally an inner layer of soft, absorbent non-irritating cloth, which covers and isolates the part of the body and prevents its infection or irritation. Said inner layer may be treated by suitable composition to prevent growth and migration.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device with a self-adhesive material located at its edges or coated to be adherent to the user's body excluding the penetration of pathogens or irritants from contaminating environments.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide various forms for said device, which can be triangular, circular, rectangular or annular. It could take a form of a spacer which may be convex or concave. It may be used as slip, short, bermuda, panties, pouch or another shape compatible with the part of the body which needs said protection.
The device may be disposable or washable offering a repeated use and longer duration, if necessary.